Euro review - Roma derail Lazio in derby
A hectic weekend on the continent saw the leaders in Italy and France drop points but hold onto top spot, Real Madrid experience derby delight, PSV pick up an impressive away win and Borussia Dortmund extend their Bundesliga advantage...
Italy
Inter's ([2.54]) home draw with Brescia, who were well worth their point, handed Lazio ([18.0]) a chance to extend their surprise lead, however their winning streak was ended by Roma in the Derby della Capitale as Marco Borriello and Mirko Vucinic both scored from the spot. The chasing pack took advantage, AC Milan ([2.9]) beating Bari 2-1, Juventus ([7.0]) defeating Cesena 3-1 and Napoli easing past Parma 2-0. Elsewhere, a 1-0 loss in Palermo saw Gian Piero Gasperini axed as Genoa coach, having taken the club from Serie B to the brink of the Champions League in his four years there.
Spain
For the first week in a while, neither Real Madrid ([1.94]) nor Barcelona ([2.08]) battered anyone this weekend, though both had the points in the bag by half-time - the table-toppers claiming local bragging rights 2-0 against Atletico and Barca winning 3-1 at Getafe. Villarreal bounced back from a tough week with a 4-1 triumph over Athletic Bilbao to seize the initiative in the battle to be best of the rest ([3.15]), while Espanyol climbed to fourth with another home victory, this time against Malaga, who have hired Manuel Pellegrini. Top-four contenders Sevilla and Valencia meet tonight.
Germany
Borussia Dortmund ([2.08]) have opened the biggest lead of the Bundesliga campaign after a 4-0 success away to Hannover coupled with Mainz ([34.0]) enduring their first slip on the road with a 1-0 loss to Freiburg saw them pull four points clear. Bayern Munich ([4.0]) are 12 off the pace after a 3-3 draw at bottom side Borussia Monchengladbach, prompting Philipp Lahm to suggest they can't afford to drop any more points. The result of the weekend though was struggling Stuttgart's stunning 6-0 romp past Werder Bremen, who have really fallen to pieces in recent weeks.
France
Marseille's ([2.26]) nine-match domestic unbeaten run came to an abrupt end against rivals PSG ([7.6]) as they spectacularly failed to build on their 7-0 midweek Champions League win. Their conquerors leapt past them into third, while promoted Brest ([150.0]) retain first place despite their own stretch without defeat being ended by Lille after Rennes could only draw at home to Lyon ([4.6]). The consequence is that only eight points separate the top 19 teams in the division, while the one club cast adrift from everyone, Arles-Avignon, won for the first time 3-2 against Caen.
Holland
Ajax ([2.74]) were again tripped up at home, this time by ADO Den Haag as they fell four points off the title pace. Champions FC Twente ([3.95]) sustained their advantage with a sixth successive victory, coming from behind to beat lowly Excelsior 2-1 but it was second-placed PSV ([2.36]) who provided the standout result, triumphing 2-1 away to FC Utrecht, who hadn't lost any of their previous 14 in front of their own fans. Groningen moved level with Ajax in third with a 2-1 success against NAC Breda.
Catch any games? Tell us what you made of the weekend's action below...
Published: 8 Nov 2010
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